By Logan Andrew | FreeWire
Martha Tidball has been performing at the Bucyrus Little Theatre since she was eight years old. Her first role was Thumbelina in a children’s musical called The Feather Duster. Her three sisters were also in the cast—one played a cockroach, one a rosebud, and one a giant toad. “They were all kind of ticked off about their parts, but I was just thrilled,” she recalled, “That’s how I thought it worked: if you were a cute little blonde kid who could sing really loud, you got the part.”
That early experience was more than a childhood memory—it marked the start of a life in performance. Martha went on to major in music education at Ashland University, double-majoring in trumpet and voice, and minoring in theatre. After graduation, she spent a year touring the country doing educational science shows based on Nickelodeon’s Mr. Wizard, performing in school gyms and civic centers across the Midwest and South. “This was before GPS,” she said. “Just me and a road atlas, getting lost, seeing the biggest ball of twine, the Corn Palace, and this weird museum of questionable medical instruments in Minneapolis.”
Along the way, she visited friends she’d met in summer stock productions and in college. She called it one of the most formative periods of her life. “You learn a lot about being on your own. Most people go right from school into a relationship or job and don’t get that stretch of independence. It was a gift.”
Eventually, Martha returned to Bucyrus, where she taught music for 16 years and remained deeply involved in the theatre community. “Performance is the only thing I’ve ever trained to do,” she said. “It’s just in my blood.”
Now she’s directing the theatre’s latest production, Schoolhouse Rock Live!, a musical revue based on the classic Saturday morning cartoon shorts that taught grammar, civics, math, and science through catchy songs. The show follows a nervous teacher preparing for her first day. As she doubts herself, five aspects of her personality come to life from a television and guide her through a rapid-fire review of the basics.
“There are over 20 songs, but none of them are very long,” Martha explained. “They’re quick, fun, and really stick in your head. It’s not deep—this isn’t a think-piece—but I want people to leave smiling, tapping their toes, maybe humming a tune.”
The show includes favorites like “Conjunction Junction,” “I’m Just a Bill,” and “A Noun Is a Person, Place or Thing.” The cast even interacts with the audience in some numbers. Martha said the tone of the show is closer to variety TV than traditional musical theatre: “Think Brady Bunch meets Donnie and Marie meets Laugh-In.”
This production also debuts new digital projection technology at the theatre, something Martha hopes will open doors for future productions—and possibly even movie nights. “We’re using it like a giant television on stage, so while the cast is performing, you’re also seeing the ‘TV’ come to life,” she said. “It’s the first time we’ve ever used this kind of projection, and it’s been really fun figuring out how to make it work.”
Like many small-town productions, the team wears multiple hats. Martha is both directing and performing in the show after a cast member dropped out. Assistant Director Melanie Loftis, a veteran of past productions and former board member, has been essential. Lillian Smithey is serving as production manager. Musical Director Rick Walker, whom Martha has known since high school show choir festivals, is also performing. Tom Etsinger, the theatre’s longtime set designer, built the production’s physical world.
Martha describes the theatre as “the Island of Misfit Toys”—a space where people of all backgrounds, abilities, and ages can find a home. “We want people to be their authentic selves, whoever that is,” she said. “You don’t have to be on stage. You can build sets, run lights, work the box office. There’s a place here for everyone.”
That philosophy has made the theatre a nurturing environment, especially for young people. The group has recently launched a teen club and an improv program aimed at teens. Kids as young as seven or eight can audition for shows, and many of them come back as adults. “One of our cast members, Jada, started in the kids’ musicals with Cindy Light. Now she’s 18 and acting onstage in my show,” Martha said, “It’s full-circle moments like that that remind you how important these spaces are.”
The theatre was recently recognized as Organization of the Year by the Crawford County Chamber of Commerce, an honor Martha says was especially meaningful. “We’re not in a high-traffic part of town. We don’t always get seen. So for people to notice us, to recognize the work we’re doing—it means a lot.”
When asked what she would say to someone who’s never attended a show at Bucyrus Little Theatre, Martha kept it simple: “Come. We’re small, but our quality is high. We’ve worked on this since March. We care. You’ll laugh. You’ll sing. You’ll have fun. That’s what we want.”
If audience members walk out with a smile, maybe humming “Conjunction Junction” on their way home, that’s enough. “If they learn something along the way, hey, that’s great,” she said. “But mostly, we just want them to have a good time.”
